The General Clinical Research Center of the Downstate Medical Center is now in its 08 year of operation. It continues to be the central inpatient investigative unit for Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as Pediatrics. Studies performed this year showed a shift from the heavy emphasis on investigations of the effects of calcitonin on various metabolic bone diseases to a broad spectrum of investigations of diseases prevalent in our urban patient population. Thus, studies of uric acid metabolism in sickle cell disease and gout, as well as in chronic alcoholism have been examined. The use of intestinal absorbents in chronic renal failure has been studied in detail. The initial phase of this investigation has been successfully concluded and a second study on an advanced absorbent is just commencing. Studies of the relationship of lead ingestion to hyperkinesis in children, as well as the metabolic effects of medications used for the syndrome of hyperkinesis, are in progress. Endocrine studies of bone disease, although lower in number, have continued as have studies of thyroid, pituitary and pancreatic abnormalities. The laboratory has continued to produce large volumes of data with a high degree of quality control. The radioisotope laboratory has instituted a variety of new techniques, including immunoassay of specific antigens and is developing methods for the analysis of cyclic nucleotides.